Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. — Romans 12:14

Bless (Eulogeo: Greek): to invoke blessing upon a person.

It’s right there, in black and white, in my Bible. Bless those who persecute? Really? I must have read that wrong. No, there it is. Bless and do not curse.

I thought, how can I bless someone who is mean, evil, wrong doing, harsh and many other such words? As I thought on these Words of God I saw a different picture.

If I dwell on persecutors I get angry and my mind wants revenge, for them to suffer as they have made others suffer and pretty soon I find myself enraged and bitter. What does that do to me? That’s my selfish view although justified as I need to dwell on Jesus and “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise”. (Philippians 4:8) Which way is most effective for the Kingdom of God?

My other thought is what better way can I bless someone than to pray for them. All day long I can hear, read, see persecution everywhere — news, T.V. in general, the internet, Facebook, conversations everywhere — but I wonder how many are praying for the persecuted and especially the persecutors. Just maybe if we started praying for them and our leaders — instead of mocking them, ridiculing them, pointing out all their faults — the earnest prayers of faithful believers just might see God move in miraculous ways in others and in us.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon